In the arms race for social media marketing, there are few weapons more effective than Dwayne Johnson. Commanding a healthy following and with a willingness to embrace all manner of platforms, he's got this thing down. As he starts work on his latest movie, Rampage, he's shared a behind-the-scenes look at the people and technology bringing the story's creatures to life.
Rampage adapts the classic video game that saw a giant gorilla, reptile and wolf destroying city blocks at the player's command. That has been turned into a movie starring Johnson as the head of an anti-poaching unit working out of Rwanda. He's best friends with a rare albino gorilla named George (because of course) and naturally annoyed when evil scientists infect the ape, an alligator and a wolf with a serum that makes them grow at an unprecedented rate, and boosts their size, speed, agility and aggression. Which naturally sets them on a course to cause destruction.
Because you can't just create giant creatures and set them loose, there will naturally be some hefty effects tech involved, and Johnson took to Instagram on Wednesday to talk about it. "George, is played by 6'9 Jason Liles, (pictured here). Jason has been studying gorillas for months now preparing for this motion capture role. Gorilla movements, body language, and all emotions – joy, pain, sadness, love, aggression etc. It's insane when you get around this man and how he's able to brilliantly embody a gorilla. This is the most fascinating advanced VFX/motion cap process I've ever worked with in my career. Incredible learning curve for me.
"We have the best mo-cap team in the world (Weta Digital) working on our gigantic Rampage monsters and you'll get a taste of this new technology in the upcoming War For The Planet Of The Apes as well as James Cameron's Avatars."
Johnson's San Andreas director Brad Peyton is calling the shots for this one, overseeing a cast that also includes Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Joe Manganiello and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Rampage stomps in on 13 April next year.